A Chemotaxonomic Study to Differentiate Three Species of Northern California Ribes via Solvent Extraction, Chromatography and Spectroscopy

Gooseberries (genus Ribes) are a fragrant, deciduous, erect shrubs that produces spiny fruit in early Spring, found primarily in the Northern Hemisphere with the majority of species found in California. This study chemotaxonomically delineates specie lines of three closely related Ribes species (R. Victoris, R. californicum and R. menziesii). While taxonomic keys exist for these three distinct species, using physical descriptions of these individuals for identification is ambiguous, as they do not distinguish between the rare and endangered variety of R. Victoris var. minus and hybrids. We have evidence that suggests that these purported rare variant are hybrids (of R. californicum and R. menziesii) by way of their locale, unpublished morphological data, and sequencing data. We further chemotaxonomically delineate the three species via solvent extraction, chromatographic purification and spectroscopic analysis, comparing them with a suspect plant from San Mateo County (PGMLTRC1) to designate species of R. Victoris variety minus or as a hybrid. In this presentation, we will discuss how we solvent extracted the plants, used chromatographic purification techniques and spectroscopically delineated the three different species of Northern California gooseberry plants.